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Sunday, November 17, 2013

Book Blitz! Forty Days and Forty Nights by Stephanie Parent

The
entire village knows Neima’s grandfather is a madman. For years the old man has
prophesied that a great flood is coming, a flood disastrous enough to blot out
the entire earth. He’s even built an enormous ark that he claims will allow his
family to survive the deluge. But no one believes the ravings of a lunatic…

…until the rain starts. And doesn’t stop. Soon sixteen-year-old Neima finds her
entire world transformed, her life and those of the people she loves in peril.
Trapped on the ark with her grandfather Noah, the rest of her family, and a
noisy, filthy, and hungry assortment of wild animals, will Neima find a way to
survive?

With lions, tigers, and bears oh my, elephants and flamingos too, along with
rivalries and betrayals, a mysterious stowaway, and perhaps even an unexpected
romance, FORTY DAYS is not your grandfather’s Noah’s Ark story.

FORTY DAYS is approximately 45000 words, the length of a shorter novel, and is
the first installment in a two-part epic story. It does contain a cliffhanger
ending.

Readers looking for a traditional, religiously oriented version of the Noah’s
Ark story should be warned that FORTY DAYS may not appeal to them. The novel
will, however, appeal to lovers of apocalyptic fiction, historical fiction, and
romance, as well as anyone who’s ever dreamed of having a baby elephant as a
pet.

Neima, her family, and her grandfather Noah have found themselves trapped aboard an ark as a great flood destroys all life in the world. As their time aboard the ark lengthens, food begins to run out, wild animals grow restless, and family tensions become as much of a threat as the flood outside. In the second and final installment of Neima’s Ark, the stakes are higher, the conflicts are greater, and Neima finds herself facing a choice as impossible as the destruction all around her.

Forty Nights is a continuation of the story begun in Forty Days, and it’s recommended that you read Forty Days first for the best experience. Forty Nights does, however, contain a character guide to refresh readers’ memories. The Neima’s Ark series is a historical, feminist reimagining of the story of Noah’s Ark rather than a religiously oriented one, and the novels are best suited for readers who are comfortable with new interpretations of biblical stories.

Available from:

PRAISE FOR
THE NEIMA’S ARK SERIES:

“Stephanie
Parent takes a story I would have immediately shrugged off and turned it into a
story with a surprising amount of reality and despite being religious based is
not at all religious. Stephanie somehow created a paradox… When I think of a
word to describe this story I think, layers.
The tension is extremely layered. We get internal tension among the
characters, tension relating to the animals, and tension from the storming
raging outside. It’s not even supernatural elements, it’s all practical points
like food and animal needs. The characters are also well defined and fleshed
out.”

--Michelle, In
Libris Veritas

The romance
is slow and imperfect, but it's realistic and believable. I can honestly say
that this love story is one of if not the best one I've read so far…a very
thrilling read full of some great twists…[the ending] was everything I could
have asked for and more, it was a perfect ending to an imperfectly perfect
story.

--Zachary
Flye, Zach’s YA Reviews

Stephanie Parent is a graduate of the Master of Professional Writing program at USC and attended the Baltimore School for the Arts as a piano major. She moved to Los Angeles because of Francesca Lia Block's WEETZIE BAT books, which might give you some idea of how much books mean to her. She also loves dogs, books about dogs, and sugary coffee drinks both hot and cold.